


In Which the Pale King Accidentally Ruins Everything

by AnonymousArt333 (SeafoamTaide)



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: He is so smart yet so dumb, I hope I'm tagging ok???, Pale King tactfully avoids recognizing his missteps, some mention of injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-17 03:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20613848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamTaide/pseuds/AnonymousArt333
Summary: A possible series of moments where the Pale King can't help but care for his vessel. Like an idiot. And poor Pure just doesn't know what to do.A thing I wanted to write. Might write more. Who knows.





	1. (Un)Thinking

**Author's Note:**

> I HAVE HAD TO WRITE ALL OF THIS 4 TIMES AAAA I KEEP REFRESHING AA
> 
> Anyways  
I wrote this at 1 am and then promptly passed out. Tried editing but I'm bad at that. Sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> Might be ooc. Maybe. Idk.
> 
> EDIT: hey, future me here (it's been a year since I wrote this, wow). This was just a quick thing that I wrote on impulse, so treat the chapters more like individual one shot character studies than anything of a story. Just a heads up since it kind of stops abruptly.

His vessel sat on the bench he had crudely set up in his workshop for moments just like this. The little thing had fought until it's last limbs again. Perhaps he should figure a way to set a limit, if only for the training, so he didn't find himself in this room so often, fixing its mask once again. 

It was these quiet moments alone with it that he let himself slip, sometimes.

That's what he was afraid of the most.

Yes, surely a limit must be set. To save himself the trouble of dealing with this when there were more important matters to tend to. When it's mask was near breaking, it looked so helpless… A limit. To save time. Yes.

"Alright, my pure vessel, let us see what exactly you've done to yourself again."

It was quiet, lonesome moments, moments like these that he tended to talk to it. He couldn't help it, mumbling while he worked was a habit, maybe even in his core. Besides, it sat unhearing, so what did it matter? A perfect vessel like this one did not respond,  _ could not _ respond.

And that was exactly what he wanted, yes, perfection, his finest work. Tuned after many failures, insignificant failures, that held no sway except over the data he had collected and were barely worth more thought than that. Weren't worth more thought than that. 

Finally realizing he hadn't actually been inspecting the vessel's mask because of his wandering thoughts, he removed the hand that had been resting on the top. And tried not to think about how endearing any normal bug might have found the gesture. His hand had merely stilled in that position. 

He broke out of his thoughts once again as the vessel turned it's head to face his directly, staring at him with it's lifeless eyes. Averting his eyes, he quickly focused on a tool resting on his table and picked it up quickly. He shuffled around a second with it, before setting it down again. He… didn't actually need that one. 

He really needed to get on with this so the vessel could get back to it's training. He focused on his task and set to work.

**______**

The vessel sat through it's fixing like usual. But instead of passively existing while the action was performed like always, one thing stuck to its conscious. Rarely did a memory stay. But for some reason this one strengthened the more it stuck.

It's mask still tingled tentatively from the touch.

A new step to the fixing process, perhaps. Or possibly just something the King felt like doing. It did not matter. 

Except. Now everytime the King brushed his delicate fingers against it's mask it recalled the resting of the hand on the top of it's head. 

It was not sure why.

It would do its best to not dwell on it


	2. Innocent Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PK is grumpy he has to 'sit' and 'relax'.  
Pure unknowingly does a big no no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's longer! Hooray!
> 
> Took longer because I started another thing oops.

The balcony was small compared to the usual size of the rooms in the palace. Blinding white as all rooms here were, but overlooking a small garden below that, while filled with the pale delicate flowers, was also spotted with some flowers in colors of blue and purple. They shone in the pale light, their different hues obvious yet beautiful in the stark surroundings.

His gaze moved from the garden below to the place he stood, noting it's overpowering bright, almost bland, constant white softly grating on his nerves. Perhaps he could consider planting flowers like those others around to liven things. But he knew he'd never get the time.

This was the first decent break he'd been forced into in awhile. His Lady insisted he was running himself ragged, and while he was going between meetings and hearings and such as normal, the addition of his vessel's training perhaps lent merit to her claim. It hurt him to sit still while his people fell victim to the Old Light. He needed to get back to work. For the sake of his kingdom, there could be no breaks. Everything seemed all too important nowadays. His health could wait.

He glanced at the doorway, where his vessel stood guard, staring straight ahead. It was still small, so small. However, it was strong enough now to be reasonable protection, at least within the palace, where there was little reason to fear. This gave his great knights time to train or attend to other matters outside of the palace. And yes, he quite preferred it's presence. For safety.

He sat on the single cushioned chair and mused on the horrible situation he had been dealing with for many weeks now. He could barely stand to read the reports sent by his faithful Watcher that described the events throughout the city, let alone venture out to witness it himself. Bugs going mad in their sleep, family killing family. It was just… why couldn't… he just wished he could do something better, something faster. It was so suffocating, this feeling of doubt and worry. 

But it was going to be fine. He looked up again at the vessel, his perfect little creation, the solution to everything. It was still staring straight ahead. Yes, nothing to worry about, really. It would just take a bit… a bit more time. Just a little more suffering and then everyone would prosper again. He would make sure of it. He already had made sure of it. Yes.

On some impulse, he called it over to him. Carefully tilting its head side to side, mulling over it for any cracks or blemishes. The check ups he held at the end of the day had been a time he collected himself. Recently, more often than not, he found himself compulsively performing minor ones outside of schedule to distract from whatever stress was weighing down on him. And of course, it kept his vessel in top condition, should anything worse happen to it.

Satisfied with its appearance, he retreated back to the more slumped position he had been resting in. He did not dismiss it back to it's station, however. This was his palace, after all. Nothing horrible would happen. The vessel was fine where it was. Besides, he didn't feel like talking anymore than he had to.

Perhaps he had needed a break. Just sitting down made him aware of how tired he was. Maybe, since he was already resting anyways, he could… just take a quick nap. It would be fast, and he was already doing nothing, it was fine. Yeah. This was… this was ok. For a second. 

After a couple minutes of back and forth worrying about failing his people and being desperately tired, he eventually drifted into a, thankfully, dreamless sleep.

  
  


__________

  
  


It stiffly stood by the door where it was ordered to stay. It watched, unseeing, as the King flitted around the small area before sitting down.

It walked over, as told, to stand by the seat. It stood still as he rolled it's head around in his hands. It stood still as he straightened the cloak around it's body.

When he pulled away, it briefly felt a stab of some kind, akin to a thorn poking its side. It knew this was harmless, and ignored it because the King ignored it. The injury would be fixed later.

It stood still, in it's new position, as the King stared at the floor, and it stayed as the King slowly began to sleep.

It only left it's post next to the seat when his unconscious body began to slump forward, enough to knock him off the seat. Unordered, it lifted him up, slowly, and leaned him against the wall in a more secure position. Watching, carefully and with intent this time, it stayed in front of the King, making sure he would not fall again. It turned back to it's spot, but this time it faced the King directly, to avoid another close call like that.

It barely realized that it shouldn't have been possible for it to act without the command to. All it knew was that it had helped the King, as that was it's job, right? Helping was good.

When the King did finally awaken, the realization of what he had done and all the time he had wasted distracted him from the fact that the vessel kept it's eyes trained on him until he ordered it to follow him back to his study. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was worried the formatting of this was too similar to the last chapter, so if it's annoying, please say something.
> 
> Any other criticism is welcome.


End file.
